* On Sunday, the ORF debate for the Sunday Tyrol state election took place. Issues debated included the economy, education, affordable housing, traffic and transit.

* Ahead of the election, the "Falter" newspaper is reporting about a new Nazi textbook from the fraternity of an aide to Norbert Hofer.

* On Friday, the early-voting day for the March 4 Carinthia state election will take place.

* The FPÖ is now open to a possible binding referendum on the smoking ban (but only after 2021, when ÖVP/FPÖ wants to introduce a direct-democracy system). In the meantime, ÖVP/FPÖ plan to kill the smoking-ban that was expected to be enforced from May 1st and was agreed to by SPÖVP.

* The FPÖ is now open to a possible binding referendum on the smoking ban (but only after 2021, when ÖVP/FPÖ wants to introduce a direct-democracy system). In the meantime, ÖVP/FPÖ plan to kill the smoking-ban that was expected to be enforced from May 1st and was agreed to by SPÖVP.

That's the right way to do it. Would love to see a direct-democracy system as soon as possible.

In your opinion, should they hold a referendum or should they introduce the ban immediately as a result of the signatures that were gather/are being gathered?

* The FPÖ is now open to a possible binding referendum on the smoking ban (but only after 2021, when ÖVP/FPÖ wants to introduce a direct-democracy system). In the meantime, ÖVP/FPÖ plan to kill the smoking-ban that was expected to be enforced from May 1st and was agreed to by SPÖVP.

That's the right way to do it. Would love to see a direct-democracy system as soon as possible.

In your opinion, should they hold a referendum or should they introduce the ban immediately as a result of the signatures that were gather/are being gathered?

SPÖVP already agreed on the general smoking ban (which was scheduled to become law on May 1, 2018).

So of course, ÖVP/FPÖ should keep it in place. The massive amount of signatures collected right now just underscores the importance and support of the smoking ban by the public.

IMO, there's no need for a costly referendum because all the polls show that the public strongly supports the smoking ban (with a 2/3 majority). It's just the FPÖ who thinks it's cool to be against the ban, now that they are in government.

The poster "Georg Ebner" recently made this map + chart here for the 2017 federal election, which shows the combined Center-Right 2013 vs. the combined Center-Right in 2017 and the swings in each district.

As you can see from the map, the Austrian Right gained some 3.8 points between 2013 and 2017.

The increase was especially big in my district (Zell am See), Carinthia and the East - while some inner-city districts in Vienna + the city of Graz actually saw a decline:

ÖVP-FPÖ has agreed on a tough new surveillance package today (something the FPÖ opposed before the election):

Quote

Vienna (dpa) - Austrian police will get broad powers to monitor roads, public transport and online communications, according to a package of security measures planned by the right-wing government.

On Wednesday, the coalition cabinet between conservatives and the far right agreed to the policies that are a key part of its law-and-order agenda.

According to the plan, which still has to pass parliament, authorities will get access to video surveillance of private companies that perform public services, such as transport or aviation.

The government also wants to expand the use of road surveillance systems that register cars and their number plates.

In addition, police are to gain access to messenger services such as WhatsApp and Skype when they are investigating serious crimes and terrorism cases, by installing eavesdropping software.

While the EU Court of Justice has annulled an EU directive on mandatory storage of telecommunications data, the Austrian government has come up with an alternative named "quick freeze."

Authorities would be able to order telecommunication firms to store user data for up to one year, in order to investigate certain types of crimes.

Interior Minister Herbert Kickl and Justice Minister Josef Moser told reporters that the measures would not amount to mass surveillance, but are necessary to respond to developments in terrorism and serious crime.

2 new federal polls out today and both show the FPÖ dropping a bit (they actually polled around 28% during the Christmas holidays, but seem to have taken a small hit because of the Nazi textbook scandal and the current smoking ban petition drive, which the FPÖ opposes but the public strongly supports):

Currently, everyone is attacking the FPÖ on the smoking issue and direct democracy.

Why ?

Before the election, the FPÖ was always demanding more direct democracy. Now that they are in government and the petition drive for the smoking ban is highly popular (to the agony of the FPÖ), they are suddenly against more immediate direct democracy ...

And FPÖ-leader Strache seems to change his mind every other day now: Yesterday, he was for a binding referendum on the smoking ban in 2021, today he said that OF COURSE he favours referendums on a whole package of issues on the same day (but that the ÖVP is against it).

Issues that Strache now wants to hold a mega referendum on include CETA/TTIP, the abolition of fees to fund the public ORF broadcaster (which he recently kinda attacked as a fake news broadcaster and producer of lies) or the "debt union" - whatever this means. I guess it means that Strache wants Austria to stop being a net-contributor to the EU budget.

That's only half the number that was issued for the federal election last year, when turnout was 80%, but slightly up from the numbers in the 2013 state election, when turnout was just 61%.

So, the low number points to another low turnout state election tomorrow and there are 2 main reasons for it:

* Contrary to the federal election, it is already guaranteed that the ÖVP will dominate tomorrow and that Günther Platter will remain Governor.

* Also contrary to the federal election, the mood by voters in the state of Tyrol on the economy, labour market, finances and government work is excellent, so why bother to vote ? It seems voters are much more likely to turn out when the government sucks and there's an open race.

* The current government there is ÖVP-Greens and their work is rated as "good" by voters. It is likely that the ÖVP will profit most from their good government work, as well as the solid national climate for the ÖVP right now, whereas the Greens are likely to perform above the Austrian average for a Green party - yet remain below their 2013 results - because of the bad national climate. The incumbent Governor Günther Platter will of course remain Governor for the next 5 years - and assuming the ÖVP doesn't get an absolute majority on their own tomorrow - can pick and choose their coalition partner.

* A total of 537.273 people are eligible to vote. Polls open at 7am and close at 5pm local time. A first projection by ORF/SORA will come around 5-10 minutes later. All ballots will be counted in the evening, even all postal ballots. A final result is likely at around 8pm.

FPÖ-leader H.C. Strache has apologized to Armin Wolf, a main journalist at the public broadcaster ORF.

Recently, Strache posted on Facebook using a picture of Wolf: "ORF - the place where news become lies." (... though on top he wrote "Satire").

Wolf threatened to sue Strache in court for his posting.

Meanwhile the ORF controversy, a new Nazi-textbook scandal involving an aide of Norbert Hofer and the smoking back-and-forth is putting Strache and the FPÖ under significant pressure:

Today, Strache lowered expectations for the Tyrol state election tomorrow - saying "he would already be happy with 15%". Which would be 5% worse than the FPÖ's all-time record in a state election under Jörg Haider in 1999.

Impossible not to note the continued absence of the Liste Pilz in these Land elections. Have they even done anything of interest in the Nationalrat since Pilz's resignation?

LiPi won't run in any of the state elections this year, because of a lack of organisation and money.

Maybe in the Vorarlberg election next year, the EU election and definitely in the Vienna election in 2020.

As for their "work" in parliament, it should be noted that the Nationalrat only had one meeting so far this year, but from what I have read they sent out press releases for the legalisation of medical pot to relieve pain, are in favour of the current smoking-ban petition drive, call for a strict investigation into far-right fraternities linked to the FPÖ and are boycotting the hearings for the 2 new Constitutional Court nominees from the FPÖ.